Words from the Rock
Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.”
John 9:39–41 NIV
Why would you pretend to be something you’re not? Why would you deny an area of weakness in your life? Would it be because you wanted others to think you were better than you were? Would it be because of pride?
Pride kept the religious leaders and the hypocritical Pharisees from seeing who Jesus really was and that he’d come from God. In fact, pride blinded them. Would they admit they were blind? Of course not. They denied having a problem, insisting that everyone else, including Jesus, needed help. The Pharisees were like, “We can see just fine, thank you very much.” They were so sure of themselves that they probably thought their spiritual eyesight was 20/20. Yet they were totally blind. Jesus came to heal the sick and to make the blind see, but if people denied their blindness, like the Pharisees did, how could Jesus possibly heal them?
If we let pride rule us (like the Pharisees) and claim we’re “just fine, thank you,” Jesus can’t help us. Our denial not only keeps us from being healed, it keeps us from God. It’s only when we can admit our weaknesses, confess our blind spots (which we all have), and ask God to help us that we can be healed.
My Prayer
Dear God,
I know I have blind spots and that pride can drive me into denial. Help me to confess my weaknesses and to come to you for healing.
Amen.
Final Word
Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible.
Proverbs 10:23 NLT
Stone for the Journey
I will not let pride separate me from the truth and from God’s healing.